title: Do afterlife beliefs affect psychological adjustment to late-life spousal loss?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We explore whether beliefs about the existence and nature of an afterlife affect 5 psychological symptoms (anxiety, anger, depression, intrusive thoughts, and yearning) among recently bereaved older spouses.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conduct multivariate regression analyses using data from the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC), a prospective study of spousal loss. The CLOC obtained data from bereaved persons prior to loss and both 6 and 18 months postloss. All analyses are adjusted for health, sociodemographic characteristics, and preloss marital quality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bleak or uncertain views about the afterlife are associated with multiple aspects of distress postloss. Uncertainty about the existence of an afterlife is associated with elevated intrusive thoughts, a symptom similar to posttraumatic distress. Widowed persons who do not expect to be reunited with loved ones in the afterlife report significantly more depressive symptoms, anger, and intrusive thoughts at both 6 and 18 months postloss.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Beliefs in an afterlife may be maladaptive for coping with late-life spousal loss, particularly if one is uncertain about its existence or holds a pessimistic view of what the afterlife entails. Our findings are broadly consistent with recent work suggesting that "continuing bonds" with the decedent may not be adaptive for older bereaved spouses.
authors.affiliation: Correspondence should be addressed to Deborah Carr, Department of Sociology and Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers University, 112 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. E-mail: carrds@rutgers.edu.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.forename: Shane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharp
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000786:Anger; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001601:Bereavement; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012067:Religion; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D013997:Time Factors; D017805:Widowhood / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Afterlife beliefs; Bereavement; Coping; Psychological distress; Widowhood.